Road to the Final Fur: Round Five

This is it. The one we’ve been waiting for. The Final Fur Championship. Today and tomorrow the river otter and the arctic fox battle it out for National Wildlife Week supremacy. Keep reading for a recap of the road to the Final Fur – and then vote to crown this year’s champion!

RIVER OTTER

These charismatic mammals certainly swam their way past the competition in our inaugural bracket! A force to be reckoned with since the very beginning, the river otters show no sign of slowing down now. In Round 1 the otters trounced the competition, leaving the northern cardinals red with embarrassment.Final score: 67% (River Otters) – 33% (Northern Cardinals)

In Round 2 they surprised the great horned owls. Fresh off their victory over the humpback whales, the owls couldn’t outmaneuver the agile river otters. Losing by a respectable margin, the great horned owls soared home to prepare for the 2018 qualifiers, while the river otters kept their eyes to the sky and prepped for their next opponent: the Atlantic puffins.Final score: 58.6% (River Otters) – 41.4% (Great Horned Owls)

In Round 3 it was freshwater vs the sea as the river otters took on the Atlantic puffins. Though the sea parrot cruised to easy victories over the bats and the mallards in Rounds 1 & 2, respectively, they still couldn’t outpace the otters. After a crushing loss, the puffins retired to their sea cliffs to rest and train for next year’s National Wildlife Week.Final score: 60.7% (River Otters) – 39.3% (Atlantic Puffins)

Round 4 was the closest one yet for the otters. The green sea turtles had a strong run through the first three rounds. After easily defeating the barking tree frogs in Round 1, the sea turtles moved on to Round 2 where they faced off against the black bears, a livelier opponent to be sure, but still no match for these verdant reptiles. Round 3 was a stunning display of turtle power, as they fought their way tooth and shell to a buzzer-beating victory over the Florida panthers. It seems that’s where the green sea turtles’ luck ran out. The river otters pulled out a clutch victory over the sea turtles and launched themselves to the championship round.Final score: 57.3% (River Otters) – 42.7% (Green Sea Turtles)

ARCTIC FOX

Unlike their opponents, the arctic foxes are the Cinderella story of the Final Fur. In fact, they barely made it through Round 1. Separated from the harp seals by mere fractions of a percent, they looked shaky (but adorable) heading into Round 2.Final score: 50.4% (Arctic Foxes) – 49.6% (Harp Seals)

Round 2 was another close one for the arctic fox. After a resounding victory over the moose in Round 1, the polar bears were looking for a fight, but this time they bit off more than they could chew. It took all the arctic foxes’ wiles, but they slipped past the mighty polar bears and into Round 3.Final score: 51% (Arctic Foxes) – 49% (Polar Bears)

In desperate need of a decisive victory, the arctic foxes threw themselves into defeating their Round 3 competitors: the Canada lynxes. The lynxes certainly looked like they would be a challenge. In Round 1 these diminutive cats defeated the mighty walruses by an astonishing margin. Then in Round 2 the lynxes snuck past fan favorites, the orcas. But Round 3 was the end of their road. The arctic foxes leapt their way to the championship match and sent the lynxes back to the Great White North for some R&R before next year’s tournament.Final score: 60.2% (Arctic Foxes) – 39.8% (Canada Lynxes)

Will the river otters roll to an easy victory? Or will they be outfoxed by their opponents? Don’t forget to cast your vote for your favorite. And come back on March 17th as we close out National Wildlife Week by crowning the first ever Final Fur champion.